Upholstery pad stuffing machinery



Dec. 15, 1936. T. L. McJoYNT l UPHOLSTERY PAD STUFFING MACHINERY 3Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 11,L 1935 lnlll.IIlzlllullillnllmmli Y Dec. l5,1936. T. L. McJoYNT UPHOLSTERY PAD STUFFING MACHINERY 5 sheets-sheet 2Filed May ll, 1953 vamv y am y WVL/EA/f'@ Eh/7M U77-/VEY Dec. 15, 1936.T. L. MJoYNT` UPHOLSTERY PAD sTUFFING MACHINERY Filed May 11, 19534 3Sheets-Sheet 3 JV V/VfU/Q E, y /ff @7TH/way nvmw . vm N I .l I l l L UUUU n r um NN JN l J d 3 S S E, UAUUU@ UxUU U* Patented Dec. l5, 1936UNITED STATES PATET orrice 5 Claims.

My invention relates generally to improved means for stuffing upholsterypads or the like, the mechanism employed being somewhat the same as thatdisclosed in my co-pending application, Serial Number 665,735 filedApril 12, 1933 covering Method of stulng pads.

The principal difference between the structure shown and describedherein and that in my copending application is the mechanism employedfor distending the unlled pad as to readily receive the filling nozzle,the main object of the invention being the employment of means toaccelerate the mechanical pad stufling methods heretofore employed;another object is to eliminate certain parts of the mechanism heretoforedeemed essential in automatic pad stuing equipment.

To more fully understand my invention, reference should be had to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side plan view of the mechanism employed, the parts shownbeing partially in section and partially fragmentary;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal fragmentary sectional view of a pad mold: n

Fig. 3 is another fragmentary sectional view of a pad mold;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View of Vone of the rubber pad lockingdevices which forms a part of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the front of the mold;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view partially in plan and partially in sectiondisclosing the mechanism for locking the mold and clamping a padtherein;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan View of a plate having extended collarsover which the different sections of an unlled pad are adapted to betted;

Fig. 9 is a cross sectional View along the line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary front plan view of the carriage frame on whichpads are fed to the stuiiing operators;

Fig. 11 is another fragmentary View partially in section and partiallyin plan of a pad mold; and

Fig. 12 is a top fragmentary plan view of a mold showing a portion ofthe cover broken away to reveal the pad in the process of being filled.

In the drawings the numeral I0 is used to (ci. 22e- 43),

designate a hopper from which stuffing is drawn into a blast fan II andfrom thence blown into chutes I2 and I3 alternately.

A valve I4 having its axis at I5 controls the dow of material from onechute to the other by manual adjustment by the stuffing operators sothat the operation of pad stuffing is carried on continuously, therebeing no necessity of shutting oir the blast fan while one operatorchanges the loading nozzle from one section of a pad to another due tothe fact that while one operato-r is filling one section of his pad, theoperator of the other nozzle is adjusting his nozzle preparatory tofilling asection in the pad before him. Therefore, a continuous ow ofthe material is preserved and such flow alternates between the nozzles.This portion of my invention is covered in Patent Number 1,828,673granted October 20, 1931 and my other co'pending application filed sincethat time and for that reason it is not thought necessary or essentialto discuss the said process in detail except as it pertains to theinvention covered by the claims herein.

The numerals I6 and I'I are used to designate nozzles, the largertubular ends of which are xed to the open ends of chutes I2 and I3. YThesaid nozzles vI6 and I'I are reduced throughout a portion of theirlength, said reduction extending from approximately one-half thedistance between the ends to the outer discharge ends thereof.

As illustrated in Figure 1, outlet elements in the form of tubes I8 areslidably tted over the nozzles I6 and II and are somewhat greater inlength than the mold so that the same may be Y extended to the extremeinner portions of the pads within the mold for the discharge of fillingmaterial at such portions of the pads without, of course, becomingdisconnected from the associated nozzles.

An emergency exhaust 20 is positioned between the fan II and the valveI4 so that when', for some reason or other, it is necessary to shut offboth filling nozzles, an auxiliary means is afforded of diverting thestuffing as it comes from the blower. This auxiliary exhaust is usuallyconnected back to the hopper so that in the 4 interim of total shut-offof the nozzle (which is accomplished by closing a valve 2| locateddirectly ahead of the emergency exhaust orifice) stu'ing is by passedback into the hopper, thus preventing congestion of the stuffingimmediately back of the valve 2l. The auxiliary exhaust valve, inaddition to the stuffing diversion valve I4, is controlled by either ofthe two nozzle operators by means of ropes or levers.

A track frame, o-n which are mounted parallel spaced tracks 22 and 23,is positioned adjacent the orifices of the nozzles, the said tracksbeing so spaced as to permit the alignment of pad molds with thedischarge orifices of the staggered parallel nozzles, one of the saidnozzles being positioned to fill pads in molds riding on one track andthe other to ll pads on the adjacent track.

To facilitate the travel of the molds along the track, the said moldsare provided with flanged wheels 24, the said wheels being suspendedfrom the under sides of the molds.

The mold per se, the construction of which is the essence of theinvention herein described, has a solid bottom 25 and a perforatedhinged top 26; the said perforated top is usually made of mesh wirewhich is aixed to a frame 27. The top and bottom members of the saidmold are relatively adjustable through the medium of adjustable hingemembers 29. The rear end of the said mold is also perforated and formedof a frame 30 to which a screen 3l is affixed.

Locking members 32 are provided, the said locking members being aixed tothe hinged top of the said mold and the bottom end of the locking memberis so formed as to cause the top to be locked to the base when the saidhinged top is in closed position. These locking members are alsoadjustable so that the lock is operative at any adjustment of the heightof the mold. The end opposite the hinged end ofthe mold, which we willhereafter designate as the front end, is open and the top and bottommembers of the mold are spaced from each other through the medium ofadjustable stop members 33.

A rubber friction member 34 extends across the front end of the hingedtop on the underside thereof, and on the bottom of the said moldadjacent to and aligned with the top friction member is another rubberfriction member 35. Both of the said members or yieldable pressuretransmitting mediums consist of U-shaped metal frames in which a softrubber strip is vuicanized. The lower friction member is adjustablerelative to the top friction member through the medium of adjustablenuts and bolts 36. The function of the heretofore described frictionmembers will be explained hereinafter.

A rectangular plate 31 closes the front of the mold when an empty pad tobe lled is positioned therein. Said plate 31 has orifices 38, the edgesof which are inturned to form collars 39; the said orifices are adaptedto receive the telescopic sleeves I8 and I9 in the process of fillingthe pads. However, the dimensions ol the said orifices and thetelescopic sleeves are determined by the size of the sleeves in the padto be filled, the sleeves in the said pad being formed by sewing thesaid pad across its width as to form pockets for the stuffing to beblown into. It is also to be noted that the number of the orifices inthe plate is determined by the number of sleeves sewn in the pad to befilled. Also the size and number of the orifices in the plate isdetermined by the size and number of sleeves in the pads to be lled.

The same applies to the filling nozzles. However, as the stuffingmechanism is principally designed for automobile pads where greatquantities of similar size pads are to be stuifed, the sections in thepads are the same size and therefore only one set of plates isnecessary. However. the mechanism is so designed as to permit themajority of it to be used when another size pad having more or lessstuing and more or less sleeves formed in it is to be used, the amountof stuiling to be put in the pad being determined by the height of themold, which invention is described and claimed in my Patent Number1,828,673 granted October 20, 1931, heretofore mentioned.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Loading operators standing at adjacent ends of the track load and unloadmolds, the operation of loading being, in the instance of thisinvention, different from that disclosed in my copending application,Serial Number 665,735 filed April 12, 1933.

In the present invention, the operator rst slips the empty sections of apad to be filled over the collars on the plate 3l; the assembled collarand section is then positioned in the mold, the bottom of the collarsresting on the friction member 35 with the plate flush against the frontedge of the bottom of the said mold. The hinged cover is then let downuntil the friction member 34 rests upon the upper edge of the collars.Slight pressure is placed on the hinged top which causes the lockingmembers 32 (which have been properly adjusted) to lock the mold inclosed position, whereupon the sections are xedly positioned on thevarious co1- lars of the mold and the opening in the said sections isdistended as to permit entrance of the telescopic tube on the llingnozzle- The filling process is similar to that employed in my co-pendingapplications, namely, the loaded mold. is rolled to an operator whoaligns the telescopic tube With the number I oriiice in the front plate.The said tube is pushed through the orice to the rear end of the sectionand when the adjacent operator diverts the flow of stung material to therst-named operator, he slowly pulls the tube away from the rear end ofthe sleeve and, as explained in my co-pending applications, the pad llsup ahead of the said nozzle.

When the end of the tube approaches the front end of the mold, theoperator diverts the flow to the adjacent operator who takes up thefilling of another section of his pad, whereupon the rst named operatorpulls the tube clear of the plate 3i' and moves the mold as to alignorifice number 2.

By particular reference to Figures 7, 8 and 9, it will be seen that theform-giving collars 39 which surround the openings 38 and project intothe mold serve not only as form-giving elements but as a means to alignand guide the lling mediums or outlet elements I8 into position forlling the sections of the pad. Thus, the collars 39 serve the dualpurpose of (l) aligning and guiding the filling mediums or outletelements I8 with the sections of the pad and (2) giving the sections ofthe pad the required form.

It is not thought necessary to go into detail respecting the process ofloading the pads and the feeding of the pads to the operators as it isfully explained in the aforementioned copending applications, thedifference in the construction of this invention being in the mold andnozzles, the difference in the mold being the mechanism for distendingthe pad as to permit the entrance and exit of the filling nozzle withoutthe necessity of employing tubes or other mechanical means fordistending the sleeves in the pad to be lled. Thus fixed nozzles may beemployed having telescopic tubes Which remain on the nozzles at alltimes.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. In a mechanism for filling the sections of pads with a fillingmaterial from a column of such material in suspension, a combinedguiding and supporting member having a plurality of openings and formgiving collars extending from and registering with said openings for theselective; detachable and temporary reception of a medium for the supplyof illing material and constituting guides for the filling medium, meansto clamp portions oi the sections to be filied about the said formgiving collars preparatory to the detachable and temporary introductionand movement of said outlet element into and through said form givingcollars and embodyingv yieldable pressure mediums engaging the sectionsof the pads, a pad mold having hingedly connected sections located atopposite sides of said pad, one of said sections of the mold beingprovided With a reticulated central portion for the passage of thesuspension vehicle for the filling material, and a locking memberholdingthe sections of the mold together and thus securing saidyieldable pressure mediums in firm engagement with said sections of thepads.

2. In a mechanism for lling the sections of pads With a filling materialfrom a column of such material in suspension, a combined guiding andsupporting member having a plurality of openings and form giving collarsextending from and registering with said openings for the selective,detachable and temporary reception of a iilling medium and constitutingguides therefor, means to clamp portions of the sections to be iilledabout the said form giving collars prepa ratory to the detachable andtemporary introduction and movement of said filling medium into andthrough said form giving collars and embodying yieldable pressuremediums engaging the sections of the pads, and a pad mold havinghingedly connected sections located at opposite sides of said pad, oneof said sections of the mold being provided with a reticulatedicentralportion for the pasage of the suspension vehicle for the fillingmaterial.

3. In a mechanism for filling the sections of pads With a fillingmaterial from a iiovving column of such material in suspension, acombined guiding and supporting member having a plurality of openingsand form giving collars extending from and registering With saidopeningsfor the selective, detachable and temporary reception of aiillirig medium and constituting guides therefor, means to clampportions of nthe sections to be filled about the form giving collarspreparatory to the detachable and temporary introduction and movement ofsaid lling medium into and through' said form giving collars, and a padreceiving mold carrying said clamping means. Y

fl. In a structure for filling the sections of pads with a fillingmaterial suspended in a current of air, a mold for the reception of apad, a combined guiding and supporting member associated with the moldand having a plurality of openings and form-giving collars surroundingthe openings and projecting into the mold for the detchable andtemporary reception of a filling medium and constituting guides for suchfilling medium, and means to secure portions of the sections to befilled about the said form` giving collars preparatory to the detachableand temporary introduction of said filling medium into and through saidform-giving collars.

5. In a mechanism for lling the sections of pads with a filling materialfrom a flowing column of sucnmaterial, a combined guiding and supportingmember having a plurality of openings and form giving collars extendingfrom and registering with said openings for the selective, detachableand temporary reception of a filling medium and constituting guidestherefor, a mold for the reception of the pads, and means associatedwith said mold to clamp portions of the sections to be lled about theform giving collars' preparatory to the detachable and temporaryintroduction and movement of said lling medium into and through saidform giving collars.

THOMAS L. MCJOYNT.

